Could Twitter Popularity Lead to Preferential Treatment?

It's a distinct possibility in the near future of our backwards society. In fact, the Palms Casino in Las Vegas is already planning a super-exclusive club around it. The key to get into the V.I.P. restaurant: how many twitter followers you have:

Palms' chief marketing officer, Jason Gastwirth, is currently building out "The Klout Klub," which "will allow high-ranking influencers to experience Palms' impressive set of amenities in hopes that these influencers will want to communicate their positive experience to their followers." The Palms is already pulling in data from Klout and referring to it as part of their reservations process...Founded by Joe Fernandez and Binh Tran, in 2008, Klout initially served as one of the many ego-boosting sites designed to tell Twitter users how popular they are, but the service promptly evolved. In it's current form, Klout is a sophisticated ranking system that analyzes one's activity on social networks and assigns a score to that individual based on his/her ability to influence others...

If this is the future, then here at Token Sports we really need to get our act together. 23 followers isn't gonna cut it. Follow us so we can at least get into McDonalds.

Say it Ain't So Bruno!

(nice mugshot smile)

I have to say I'm a little disappointed in one of my new favorite musicians, who was caught with a heavy drug in Vegas. Usually, "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." That is, unless you're a celebrity.

While it was initially reported that the singer-songwriter-producer behind hits like “Nothin’ on You” and “Billionaire” had been busted with an unknown narcotic, a report issued this afternoon by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department identifies the suspected substance.

Police say they were summoned to Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Casino at 1:50 A.M. on Sept. 19 “to investigate the report of a Latin male adult being detained by hotel security.” Mars, born Peter Hernandez, had performed at the venue hours earlier. Police say they found Mars with 2.6 grams of “‘white powdery substance’ believed to be cocaine.” He was booked and released at 7:45 A.M. the same day and has not yet been charged.

Bad timing for the newest hit-maker of 2010. His album is awaiting a fall release, and his single "Just the Way You Are" is starting to do major damage on the Billboard charts. Hopefully he doesn't follow the path of Lindsay and Paris, fellow failed musicians turned coke heads.